Desiccating process



Jan. 29, 1924. 1,481,893

R. S. FLEMING DESICCATING PROCESS Filed Feb. 24. 1922 5 Shets-Sheet 1 Jan. 29, 1924. 1,481,893

-R. S. FLEMING DESICCATING PROCES 5 Filed Feb. 24. 1922 s Sheets-Sheet 2 Jam, 29, 1924. 1,481,893 RJS. FLEMING DESICCATING PROCES$ Filed Feb. 24. 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 4mmmm Patented Jan. 29, 1924.

UNETED STATES v 1,481,893 PATENT orifice;

RAPHAEL S. FLEMING, OF SYRACUSE, YORK, ASSIGNOR TO MERRELL-SOULE OOH- PANY, OF svaaousnnnw YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

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Application filed February 24, 1922. Serial 110,538,922.

7 '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RAPHAEL S. FLEMING, of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Desiocating Processes, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a new method of desiccating a liquid solution, or for combining and desiccating a liquid and a solid, and to the apparatus utilized for carrying out that process.

There are many substances, such as fruit juices that cannot practically be reduced to and maintained in powder form due to their unstable hygroscopic nature, and perhaps for other reason, and it is quite essential to the production of a stable powder, that the juice be combined with some suitable substance, which may be termed a drying 'romoter or stabilizer if the resultant pro not is to be of a required stable character.

It has heretofore been proposed to mix fruit juice with starch, or some product of hydrolyzed starch, such as glucose or corn syrup previous to desiccation bythe spraying process, that is, by atomizlng the so formed solution into a current of moisture absorbing air whereby the liquid constituents ar substantially completely vaporized and the solids collect in the form of a stable fruit juice powder.

I have discovered that a stable, and in some instances, superior powder can be fproduced by atomizing the fruit juice suc as the juice of the citrous fruit into an atmosphere laden with the dust of a compatible material, such as starch, .and that process constitutes the subject matter of the invention hereinafter claimed.

The details of an apparatus for carrying out this process in a preferred manner are disclosed 1n the accompanying drawings, in-

spray nozzle.

Figure 5 is an end elevation of. the same.

F igure 6 1s a longitudinal section of the same.

The general form of the desiccating chamher and collector disclosed in Figure l is substantially the same as the structure disclosed in Letters-Patent No.-1,-088,436 imued Feb. 24 1914, to Merrell-Soule Company as the assignor of I. S. Merrell, while the air introducing devices are substantiall the same as those disclosed in Letters atent No. 1,102,601, issued to Merrell-Soule Co., as the assi 'nor of I. S. Merrell and O. E. Merrell and the spray nozzle shown-is substantially the same as that disclosed in Letters Patent No. 1,183,393 issued to Merrell- Soule Compan as the assignor of I. S. Merrell and O. E. errell.

The desiccating devices comprise a desiccatin chamber -1 of any suitable form and s ape having a suitable screened outlet or dust collector 2-, the construction of the latter being substantially the same as that shown in said Letters Patent referred to. The liquid substance, such as the juice of a citrous fruit, may be forced under high pressure through a pipe 3 terminating in a spray nozzle -4 by means of which such juice is divided intoinfinitesimal particles. This atomized or sprayed solution is injected into a current ofheated air introduced through the air-conveying devices and simultaneously commingled and combined with the powdered or dusting material which is ejected from the pipe -40 in a manner to be hereinafter described. The atomized juice and the powder are intimately mixed, commingled and combined, and when combining are subjected to the action of the said current of air whereby the liquid constituents of the combining sub stances are instantaneously practically and completely vaporized and thevapor is conveyed from the 'desiccating chamber preferably as stated through suitable, screening devices, while the resultant practically dry powder ravitates to the floor of the desiccating ill-1111361, or is collected and separated fromthe air by'the screening'device.

Preferably, the desiccating chamber in which the liquid is atomized contains an at-., mosphere laden with the dust of some compatible material. This floating powder may be-any stabilizer, desiccation promoter or desired material. The dust laden atmosthrough a discharge pipe ---45-- pheric condition of the chamber may be produced in any suitable manner, that shown being illustrative of one satisfactory method.

As shown, the dust or powdered material may be contained in a hopper --42- having its lower end discharging into a covered trough -43 which contains a conveyor --44-- for conveying the powdered material which leads to the axial inlet of a fan 46-. The opposite axial inlet 47 of the fan is ada ted to admit air to be mixed with the pow er entering the opposite side of the fan. The

commingled air and powder being ejected through tangential pipe -40- and passing through the inner drum 9- of the windconveying devices as hereinafter described.

The air introducing devices shown comprise a wind trunk --5 through which heated air is forced by any suitable air blower or pump (not shown). This trunk communicates with an air whirling chamber --6 disposed intermediate the wind trunk and the desiccating chamber. This chamber 6- is preferably substantially circular in cross section and receives heated air under pressure from the trunk 5 through a pluralit of tangential inlet inlet channels --7--. hese channels are shown as four in number, equally spaced around the whirling chamber, and of substantially equal conveying capacity; Each channel may extend the length of t e cylindrical part 8 of the chamber -6-. The air forced from the trunk 5- through these tangential channels is set into rapid whirling motion by the cylindrical walls --8 and 9- of said chamber. The axis of the chamber 6 is preferably horizontal and at substantially right, angles to one of the walls 10- of the desiccating chamber 1. This air whirling chamber may be formed by a pair of substantially concentric walls --8- and 9 connected at their rear by a transverse annular wall-11- each of said concentric walls having its forward end tapered forwardly to form an annular constricting out-- let communicating with the desiccating chamber and preferably the taper of the wall -8 is somewhat greater than the taper of the wall 9 to further restrict the outlet and increase the pressure under which the air passes into the desiccating chamber. The wall 9-- may terminate a short distance at the rear of the termination of the wall --10 and, as the wall -9 is open at its rear, it constitutes a substantially cylindrical chamber through which the pipe -3--'passes to spray nozzle 4- and preferably the forward end of the spray nozzle is just in front of the termination of the wall -8-. This cylindrical chamber formed within the wall 9- communicates at its rear with the trunk 5 and acts to convey a direct current of air surrounding and en-.

time

and the dusting material are intimately commingled and mtermixed and combined, as they pass into the dust laden atmosphere of the chamber.

This construction is peculiarly eflicient both in effecting instantaneous combination of the spray and dusting material, and also in efi'ectmg instantaneous and substantially complete vaporization of the liquid constitucuts of the atomized material, and in effecting an economy in space, due perhaps, to the rotary movement of the air and spray.

The spraying device as shown in Fig. 6 comprises a body 12-, a cap 13-, a casing -14.-- secured to the cap by threaded engagement in such a manner as to confine the body 12 between the cap -13 and the casing -14--. Further, the nozzle comprises a spray disk -15, a plug 16-, a plug pin -17, a screen -18-, a screen supporting ring 19- and a washer -20 all arranged in substantially the manner disclosed in the aforesaid pattern so that the body 12- has a liquid whirling chamber 21- at the middle of its outer side to which the liquid is conveyed by two ducts 22 which communicate at their outer ends with the chamber -23- of the casing. The spray disk has a minute central orifice -25-- communicating with the whirling chamber -9.1'- and leading to the evase ajutage --26 formed in the cap --13-. The casing 14 is interiorly threaded at -27-- to receive the liquid conveying pipe 3- through which the liquid is forced under high pressure (as 2000 to 3000 pounds to the square inch) by any suitable means as a pump (not shown).

The operation of this particular desiccating apparatus is substantially as follows The air is introduced under pressure throu h the trunk -5 and forced into the desiccating chamber through the concentric chambers of the air introducing device in the manner heretofore described. The liquid is introduced into this current of heated air in atomized condition and is carried spirally forward by the heated air, and at the same time the dusting material or the powdered compatible material is introduced combined with air under some force through the pipe 40 into the desiccating chamber, and into the dust laden atmosphere of the chamber, and is combined and intermixed with the incoming atomized liquid solution to be, dried and simultaneously with such combination the liquid constituents of the liquid 'solution are vaporized, and the resultant powder gravitates to the bottom of the, desiccating chamber or is collected by the process descr dust collecting or screening" device 2- which permits the air and vapor to escape from the chamber separately from the dry powder, which is either retained in the desiccating chamber or Within the collect-. ing device, and in the use of this particular apparatus the powder collected in the device 2- is later deposited within the desiccating chamber and commin led with the powder primarily collecting t erein.

In referrin to the product of the spray i bed herein as comprising or consisting of spherical particles, I mean to include particles constituting complete spheres or fragments thereof.

Altho I have described particular substances, such as fruit juice and starch as being adapted for combination and simultaneous desiccation by the process herein, it Will be understood that the process is applicable to many and various substances, such as molasses and starch, or for simultaneously combining and desiccating any liquid substance with any powdered or dust making solid to produce a combined substantially dry product, the particular ap lication of the process herein described being purely illustrative of suitable substances for thesimultaneous combination and desiccation in the production of a desired and valuable product, and it will be obvious that altho I have described particular detailed steps as constituting a perhaps preferred embodiment of my invention, I do notdesire to limit myself to the same. as many changes may be made in the details of the process and in the materials to which the same is applied, without departihg from this invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim.

1. The process of desiccation comprising introducing a liquid in atomized form into an atmosphere laden with the dust of a compatible material, and simultaneously vaporizing the liquid constituents of the combining substance to reduce the combined solids to a powder.

2. The process comprising introducing a liquid in atomized form into a desiccating chamber containing an .atmosphere laden with the dust of a compatible material, and introducing a current of moisture absorbing air into said chamber.

3. The process comprising introducing a liquid in atomized form into a desiccating chamber, introducing a powdered substance into said chamber, and subjecting the atomized liquid and powdered substance while combining to the action of a current of moisture-absorbing air to reduce the combined substance to a powder.

4. Th process comprising introducing a liquid in atomized form into a desiccating chamber, introducing a dust laden current of air in said chamber and introducing a second current of air into said chamber to vaporize the liquid constituents of the combining atomized liquid and dust to reduce the combining substances to a powder.

5. The process of desiccation comprising combining an atomized liquid and a powder, and simultaneously desiccating the combining substances.

6. The process of desiccation comprisingcombining an atomizedliquid and a powder, and simultaneously vaporizing the liquid constituents of the combining substances by a current of moisture-absorbing air.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 16th day of February 1922. RAPHAEL S. FLEMING. Witnesses:

E. M. FRADENBURGH, HOWARD P. DENISON'. 

